St Patrick’s principal Steven O’Connor says school doesn’t ‘always get it right’

The principal of St Patrick’s College says the Ballarat school fell “short of standards” after a senior leader was stood down over his handling of a sexual misconduct allegation.

The principal of St Patrick’s College has admitted the school fell “short of our standards” at times. Picture: Rob Leeson

The embattled St Patrick’s College principal has paid tribute to the school’s staff and students but admitted the school fell “short of our standards” at times.

“We don’t always get it right, and I have a genuine sense of sadness when we, as a college, whether that’s students, staff or parents, fall short of our standards. But I match my sadness with a determination to fix what we can, and to do better next time. That’s what a school is, it’s about learning, sometimes that is learning from mistakes,” Steven O’Connor said in a letter to parents and staff sent on Tuesday.

He also responded to criticism of the treatment of staff at the Catholic boys’ school by the Herald Sun, rejecting the claims of workplace cultural issues.

He said the proportion of female staff in key management positions had increased by 10 per cent since 2017 and women made up 46 per cent of staff overall.

Mr O’Connor also said the school was proud of its academic outcomes. “Our median study score here at St Pat’s increased in this period, bucking those regional trends. This is also true in our NAPLAN outcomes, where in every measure, our outcomes have improved from the previous year,” he said.

“The College is committed to educating students in all aspects of respectful relationships, equity and inclusion, indicating a culture that respects the dignity of all in the College community. We embed and promote the concepts of gender equity and inclusion into our curriculum, and ensure that in every interaction, all members of the community demonstrate respect for women.

“Please know that the Leadership Team at the College remains entirely committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment in which all staff and young people are connected, respected, and listened to,” Mr O’Connor wrote.

It comes as the Herald Sun revealed St Patrick’s College in Ballarat was facing allegations of a “toxic workplace culture” along with declining student retention and stagnant VCE results.

Steven O'Connor is principal of St Patrick's College in Ballarat

Deputy Principal Richard Brodrick has been stood down from St Patrick’s College, Ballarat.

A number of matters have also been raised by staff about alleged bullying and verbally aggressive behaviour.

One source inside the school said the “misogynist and anti-women” climate had driven out many female staff at the Catholic boys’ college.

It’s understood many of the 56 staff who left during 2022 were females.

“The whispers have been going on for too long – there is no need to create fear. When you have that many staff leaving, people should be asking why,” the source said.

“There are a bunch of borderline traumatised women on the staff who are left,” they said.

“This toxic masculinity has been bubbling along in Catholic boys’ schools like this for decades and people are finally starting to speak out against it,” another insider said.

“The school has gone backwards in terms of female teachers.”

The school’s retention rate of staff, which was 92 per cent in 2017, was 82 per cent in 2022.

The latest revelations come days after the school’s deputy principal, Richard Brodrick, was stood down pending an investigation into his handling of an allegation of sexual misconduct by one boy against another.

It is understood that the allegations will be strenuously denied by Mr Brodrick once the investigation begins. He is not facing any allegations of a sexual nature.

A new leadership team was appointed in 2022 which included principal Steven O’Connor, Mr Brodrick as deputy principal and four assistant principals – three men and one woman.

But there has been a high turnover among the hand-selected group, with Director of HR Narelle Laing a recent departure.

There has been a high turnover among the leadership team at St Patrick’s College.

One former staff member said the school “did not have a healthy culture – there was a push to improve academic results but it came at the expense of good staff,” they said.

Another source said: “St Pat’s College is a good school but very poorly led”.

The school’s VCE median study score in 2022 was 29 – up from 28 in 2021 and 2020, but the same as 2017.

The retention of students from year 9 to year 12 has also declined from 81 per cent in 2017 to 69 per cent in 2022 despite more emphasis on academic outcomes.

The school’s enrolment numbers have also fallen in the past five years, dropping from 1364 in 2017 to 1266 in 2022.

One key concern is that the school’s progress in reconnecting with historical abuse survivors could be jeopardised by the current culture.

However, Mr O’Connor said the college “strongly reject claims of workplace cultural issues and we are proud of the continuous improvement in the gender equity of staff and celebrate the growing academic achievements of our students”.

He said the school had 93 female staff out of 202 employees and has a group dedicated to equity for women called Women@SPC.

“We are also proud and pleased to have Acting Deputy Principal, Carol Roberts, leading us as an all-boys’ school,” he said.

“We build the concepts of gender equity and inclusion into our curriculum, and ensure that in every interaction, all members of the community demonstrate respect for women.”

Mr O’Connor said the school was “incredibly proud of the improvements in our academic outcomes”.

“We are an inclusive, non-selective school and welcome enrolments from students of all abilities – we recognise that every student’s learning pathway is an individual one.

“In terms of declining student retention rates, this is a national phenomenon, with all schools’ retention rates trending down.

“As a school, our enrolment numbers are normally between 1250 and 1300. Our boarding enrolment has increased significantly over the last few years,” Mr O’Connor said.

The school also rejects the staff retention data claims.

On Monday the school was due to launch its 2023-2025 Strategic Plan to local media, which Mr O’Connor said would “help guide the St Patrick’s community in

its mission to educate hope-filled, compassionate and confident young men for their place in the world”.

The launch was postponed in light of the Herald Sun reporting about Mr Brodrick’s suspension.